On eve of space age, China is keen not to miss out on new era of exploration

As a new era of exploration unfolds with man’s slow progress into space, many Chinese are motivated by a wish to avoid the errors of their ancestors half a millennium ago. China was left as a passive onlooker when the Europeans started charting and conquering the world in the 15th century, a fact that has been subject to new reflection after the successful launch of Shenzhou V.